Easel



i Y HANS LPETEB, HANSN,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINUIS.

nasen.

Application filed March 29, 1923. Serial No. 628,487.

To all whom z5 may concern:

Be it known that I, Haus Pn'rnn Hanson, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Easels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates mainly to the floral decorative art, and more especially to supports or mountings for set pieces. Such devices, in the form of easels, are much used by Vundertakers, but the easels commonly used are bulky and awkward to handle and take up too much room in storage and transit. Such supports should be characterized by high grade of materials and workmanship. They 'should havek a pleasing decorative finishV and they should always present an immaculately clean appearance.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an easel of the character described adapted for ready assemblage and knoeiedown incident to the temporary character of its uses, as for instance supporting wreaths at funerals; to provide such an easel adapted for compact disposition of its members when knocked down for storage and transport, whereby it may be conveniently protected in a small wrapping or casing and carried readily as a hand parcel or otherwise; to provide anv easel having an improved form of joints and connections adapted for the purpose specified; to provide an easel frame having resilient side bars adapted for springing int-o place in assemblage, and provided with ready locking means adapted for convenient manual operation in setting the easel up and taking it down; and to provide readj,7 means preferably of ornamental appearance adapted for adjusting the height of the easel.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a front elevation with the two middle vscrews backed out somewhat to show the construction.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the easel.

3 is `a greatly enlarged rear view of the upper end of the brace member and its connection to the middle bar of the main frame. j

Fig. 4 is a similarly enlarged view of the right end of the middle cross bar and its connection to the adjacent side bar, as viewed from the back side.

5 shows how a detachable extension may be added to each side bar and to the brace whenever a taller easel is desired.

In the construction shown in Fig. l of the drawings, the easel comprises a. pair of side bars l, a series of horizontal cross bars 2, 3, and 4, a brace 5 and a fastening 6 to prevent spreading of the brace relative to the frame. l v

The said side bars are adapted for edgewise assemblage relative to said cross vbars land means are provided to secure them in interlocking relation when assembled. Each side bar is provided with a set of guide pins Z to receive the axially apertured ends of thee-ross bars respectively. The middle cross bar 2 Vis somewhat too short to meet the side bars in their natural straight position, but is brought into endwise contact therewith by springing the side bars medially toward each other and fastening them in this position by meansS. The i vfastenings 3 may be in the .form of or include hooks arranged on the ends of bar 2 to engage stop pins 8 on the'side bars 1, as illustrated by Fig. 4.

ln order that the proper or brace 5 may be detachable the chain 6 is provided with a hook 9, and the upper end of said brace is provided with a releasable kcatch l0 to engage the middle partrof'bar 2. vF or this purpose the catch 1() may be in the form of an inverted L-shaped metal bar or hook having its main shank 10 screwed into the upper end of brace and having its free arm turned to fit slidably in a horizontal direc-- tion into or through the members 11 on bar 2. The means 1l may consist of a pair of` screw eyes or the like, which should be adjusted for a snug upper end of brace cap 19,.

rlhe guides 7 are preferably of the nature of screws with threads 7 adjacent to their heads, the rest of the shank being of plain character, as at 7, to fit freely in the end apertures 13 of the bars 2, 3, and 4.

rhe operation for assembling and setting up the `easel when it is to be used is as follows: First the side bars l are arranged side by side in spaced relation. Then the three cross bars are put in place between said bars l. rlhe side bars are then pushed together, causing the six alining pin members 7 to enter the apertures 13. Then upon springing the bars l inward` at the middle the 5 may well have a metal fit on the catch 10. The

fastenings 8 are hooked into place. It then only remains to set the brace 5 in place and attach the chain at 9.

It may often be required that an easel should be somewhat taller than the standard or stock form. In this event extensions 14 may be attached to the lower ends of bars 1 and brace 5. For this purpose a standard extension or a variethwv of extensions may be kept on hand, depending on the service to be met and the heights desired.

Each member or foot 14 ma)v comprise a plain bar or shank with a socket 15 at its upper end to receive the lower end of the corresponding; part 1 or 5. This socket member may be in the form of a metal tube or sleeve 16 secured to the extension 1% b v means of pins 1T or the like, and its upper end is preferably flared somewhatas at 1S to the more readily admit the member to be extended.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described, it is to be understood that numerous details` of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the following,` claims.

I claim:

1. A knock-down easel comprising a pair of side bars to serve as supports and a series of cross bars spaced apart one above another and connecting said side bars, said side bars and cross bars being provided with means extending horizontallv to interlit b v convergent movement of said side bars npon said cross bars in assembling the easel and mutuallyv inter-engaging catch means on said side bars and one ot' said cross bars to place the latter in tension and so positivelyv secure the easel in its assembled and substantiallyY rigid condition.

Q. A knock-down easel comprising a pair of side bars` an upper cross bar, a lower cross bar and a medial cross bar to connect said side bars, said side bars and cross bars being provided with horizont-alliv disposed projections and depressions respectivel)v formed to intertit by convergent movement of said side bars upon said cross bars in assembling the easel and nmtuallv interliiting shoulder and hook means on said side bars and said medial cross bar respectively, whereby said medial bar is placed in tension to hold said side bars against spread ing and so to secure the easel in its assembled condition.

Signed at Chicago this 27th day of March 1923.

HANS PETER HANSON. 

